We allow a maximum of 12 students for all Field courses, and 15 students for Skills courses. Navigator courses and the Hunter Gatherer have a maximum of 9 students. BOSS Custom courses have limits based on location and course content. For team-building retreats or off-site programs, we can accommodate up to 200 people at a time.

A typical course will have a 1:4 ratio –– 1 staff member for every 4 students. Some may have a 1:3 ratio, as survival skills are hands-on and it helps to have someone there working with you on a skill. Expect 2 instructors and 1 apprentice for most courses.

If you do decide to leave a course, the Field Director will arrange for your transportation out of the field. An important element of the Field Course experience is that it is more than just a hike through the desert — it is a modern-day rite of passage. It is about facing the unknown, facing and pushing beyond your limits to reach a better understanding of who you are, and what you can and cannot do. We hope the temptation to leave the course will be present for everyone. At times, we hope the hunger, heat, and disorientation will require serious effort and perseverance. 

The goal is to have students finish the course and enjoy the sense of accomplishment. Most students who choose to leave regret it the moment they return to civilization.

Phone - NO

Camera - YES

Smoking Device - NO

BOSS operates in the remote wilderness surrounding Boulder, Utah, where we’ve been based since 1968. All courses begin and end here, using the surrounding public lands as our classroom.

You are required to arrive at the BOSS Campus by 11:30 AM on your start date to prepare for orientation.

Arriving by Plane

Closest Airport

• Salt Lake City, Utah (SLC), located 4-5 hours from Boulder.

Arrival/Departure Times

• Fly into Salt Lake City on Saturday before your course starts.
• Courses begin Sunday at noon and end Saturday at noon.
• We recommend flying out on Sunday morning to allow time for the drive back to Salt Lake City.

Shuttle Service

• BOSS offers a round-trip shuttle from the Holiday Inn & Suites Salt Lake City Airport West for $300.
• Shuttle departs at 6:30 am on Sundays and returns by 5:00 pm on Saturdays.

We offer simple, whole foods for our students and staff. In line with our Positive Impact philosophy, we purchase locally and organically grown ingredients whenever possible. Most of our courses also offer you training to harvest and eat wild foods, many of which students find genuinely delicious.

Food on Field Courses

On BOSS Field Courses, no food is carried during the first phase of the course. The reason for this is simple: we want you to open your eyes and become aware of your own innate strength and to what’s available to you in the wilderness. After that phase, you’ll be divided into smaller cook groups. Each group is responsible for rationing the food given for that phase of the course, and for cooking together. Ingredients provided each group typically include:

Breakfast items: oats, powdered milk, sucanat, cinnamon.

Dinner items: quinoa, lentils, rice, potatoes, carrots, onions, bouillon, whole wheat flour, spices.

When allowed, meals are cooked over small fires using billy pots as cooking vessels. You’ll note that there is no lunch on Field Courses, as groups are typically hiking during the day. However, each student is given a personal bag of GORP (raisins & roasted peanuts) to snack on. Please note that individual rations on a Field Course provide approximately 1500 calories per day. The amount is consistent with BOSS’s values, and our desire to teach people how to do more with less. Additional food is not allowed on Field Courses. 

Food on Skills Courses

On BOSS Skills Courses, meals are typically organized and served at a central base camp location by the staff. Meals usually include a hot breakfast, a cold lunch and a hot dinner based on the following options (spread out across the course)

Breakfasts: Oatmeal, amaranth, fry bread, coffee/tea.

Lunches: Coldcut sandwiches, peanut butter & jelly (or honey), fresh fruit, tuna, chips and salsa.

Dinners: Stews, pastas, chicken, soups, roasted vegetables, coffee/tea.

It is the responsibility of the group to maintain a hygienic kitchen area and to assist with certain aspects of food preparation, service and cleanup.

BOSS courses offer a more natural, immersive, and challenging experience in the wilderness than most other programs. On our courses, we do not bring stoves, tents, sleeping bags, or even backpacks into the field. Instead, we teach you how to make fire without matches, how to build shelter from forest debris, and how to navigate with the stars. We avoid the high-tech, bring-it-all-with-you mentality, and the result is an experience that can be much more “real” and meaningful to a person on the most basic level. Additionally, our average student is 33 years old and professional, making our target audience slightly older than that of most outdoor schools.

For Field, Navigator, and Hunter-Gatherer courses, you’ll be hiking through rugged terrain at elevations of 4,000 to 11,300 feet, sometimes while carrying 40+ pounds of gear. To prepare you should practice:

• Aerobic exercise: Running, hiking, or cycling builds endurance.
• Backpack training: Hike with a loaded backpack to simulate course conditions.

We recommend starting your fitness routine well in advance to ensure you're ready for the physical demands.